Bank of Japan, Relents, Raises Inflation Target: Under strong pressure from Japan’s new government, the country’s central bank promised Tuesday to enact an ambitious program of further monetary easing and raise its inflation target in a bid to rid the economy of its long-running deflationary pressures. (Subscriber Content)

BOJ Shift Puts Onus on Abe: In one swoop, the Bank of Japan signed up for the country’s experiment with Abenomics and may have signed away its independence too. But a policy shift into line with new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s demands—a 2% inflation target and an open-ended asset-purchase program—won’t be enough to get Japan’s economy humming again. (Subscriber Content)

BOJ Easing Shift Faces Skeptics: Japan’s new prime minister hailed as “epoch-making” a pledge he wrested from the central bank to more aggressively stimulate the economy. But markets, analysts and even some members of the Bank of Japan suggested the country was still far from turning the corner in its long fight against deflation. (Subscriber Content)

Asia’s Export Face-Off: Japan and South Korea compete head to head in export markets, and recent currency moves are transforming the battlefield—a shift that has investors weighing how corporate profits, and stock prices, might be affected.

Bundesbank Head Cautions Japan: Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann warned Japan not to “politicize” its exchange rate by pursuing an overly aggressive monetary policy, reflecting mounting concern in Europe that other central banks may cheapen their currencies as a means of stimulating economic growth. (Subscriber Content)

About Japan Real Time

Japan Real Time is a newsy, concise guide to what works, what doesn’t and why in the one-time poster child for Asian development, as it struggles to keep pace with faster-growing neighbors while competing with Europe for Michelin-rated restaurants. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, the site provides an inside track on business, politics and lifestyle in Japan as it comes to terms with being overtaken by China as the world’s second-biggest economy. You can contact the editors at japanrealtime@wsj.com